HAGER CITY - A small sinkhole cracked open right in the middle of Hwy. 35 south near its intersection with Hwy. 63 yesterday evening.

Mike Hawkins of Bay City, made the discovery of the sinkhole around 7 p.m. Tuesday and put down two jugs of Prestone anti-freeze to keep drivers turning south on Hwy. 35 away from it. He said he saw a small crack in the road in the same spot a few days ago.

"It just looked like another pothole, I didn't think much of it" Hawkins said. "Then I came by here again and I see it's really opened up."

The sinkhole was was around three to four feet deep and about five feet in diameter. Mike Dubois, also of Bay City, was at the scene as well and said that recent heavy rains could have washed away what was an old catch basin.

"You look down in it and it looks likes and old culvert which was alongside of the road before they re-did it," Dubois said (the intersection area was rebuilt six years ago with a separate turn-off lane from Hwy. 63 onto Hwy. 35).

Pierce Sheriff's Deputy Michael Vodinelich arrived at the scene and called for a Pierce County Highway Department crew to fix the hole that evening. He said he's seen sinkholes develop from failed culverts but nothing like this.

"I've never seen one just come open in the middle of a major highway before." Vodinelich said.